Twelve (Almost) Fail-Safe Malfoy Rules
by Marie Tomas
Summary: Or: How Draco broke every single rule in the unwritten Malfoy Rule Book, with a little help from Harry Potter.
1. Malfoys Marry Pure-Bloods

**Disclaimer: **All characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

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**1. Malfoys Marry Pure-Bloods**

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"Draco, I'm leaving you."

Draco looked up from his cup of tea to stare at Astoria, who was sitting opposite him at their usual table in the far corner of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

He was briefly distracted from staring at his fiancée when he caught another glimpse of Harry Potter, who was sitting at a table on the other side of the room with Ginevra Weasley.

Apart from Potter and his girlfriend, there was only a group of teenagers in the room. The teenagers were sitting at a table to Draco's left and apparently trying to build some sort of card house with Exploding Snap cards.

Draco struggled to suppress a sneer of disapproval. He had never had the time nor the inclination to take part in such pointless games during his teenage years.

After a few moments, he went back to staring at Potter and his girlfriend.

Even though Draco had read many an article in Pansy and Millicent's copies of _Witch Weekly _magazine about the so-called 'perfect couple', the two of them looked far from perfect as they sat in silence at their table, both of them looking around the room and at the windows and door, and definitely not at each other.

Draco wondered why Potter even bothered to drink tea at Madam Puddifoot's, as he had noticed that he always looked rather glum whenever he happened to be here at the same time as him.

Not that the Tea Shop was Draco's first choice of place to go for a drink, either. But, unlike Potter, he wasn't exactly welcome at the Three Broomsticks or the Hog's Head, so he didn't really have much choice. It wasn't as though The Chosen One was as limited as Draco in his choices of places to go.

On the other hand, Potter also looked miserable every time their paths crossed at the Ministry, or in Diagon Alley, or at various Quidditch matches, which made Draco wonder if Potter simply looked glum everywhere he went.

Unless Potter only looked upset when he caught sight of Draco, which would probably be a more logical explanation.

Astoria coughed discreetly, which reminded Draco that he had more important issues to focus on than Harry Potter.

With an apologetic shrug, he turned his attention back to her. "You're _leaving_ me?" he asked her slowly, just in case he had misheard.

She nodded solemnly.

He knew that if there was ever a perfect moment to panic, then this would be it.

She couldn't leave him. If she left him, then their engagement would be off, which would mean that the wedding would also be off, and who knew what that would lead to.

Marrying a pure-blood from a wealthy wizarding family was one of the fundamental rules of being a Malfoy. The rules had never officially been written down anywhere, but before he had even learned how to talk, Draco already knew Rule Number One off by heart.

If he broke the pure-blood wedding rule, then anything could happen. What if his family disowned him? Disinherited him? What if other pure-blood families also turned their backs on him?

And why was the idea not terrifying him as much as it should?

Draco continued to stare at Astoria, wondering what he could possibly have done over the past few months to cause her to make such a drastic decision.

Okay, they _had_ been forced to spend a lot of time apart recently, because they had both been so busy at work, and Astoria _had_ stopped speaking to him for several days last week when he returned home late from work because he had been too busy arguing with Potter to notice the time. The fact that these petty arguments with Potter happened at least once a month hadn't done much to help Draco's case.

But apart from that, as far as he was concerned, they had had a nice day.

Draco had been the one to suggest this particular visit to Hogsmeade, and the two of them had spent the afternoon strolling happily around the shops, trying on designer robes, talking about Quidditch and gossiping about their friends.

They had even discussed the possibility of moving to Hogsmeade after the wedding, as Draco had always been rather fond of the village, and he was keen to escape the unfriendly stares and whispers from the majority of the witches and wizards in London.

The purpose of the trip had mainly been to persuade Astoria that it would be a good idea to set up home here, but apparently, Draco had failed miserably in his task, as it looked like she had now decided that she wasn't going to live with him in Hogsmeade, or anywhere else in the wizarding world, for that matter.

"But…_why_?" he asked her, still feeling utterly confused.

"You don't love me," she told him, her tone of voice sounding more matter-of-fact than upset or angry.

"Yes, I do," he responded automatically.

Of course he loved her. Even though he wasn't enough of a Hufflepuff to admit it out loud, Astoria Greengrass had been one of the closest friends that he had ever had. She had stayed by his side in the months that followed the war, supporting him through some of the most difficult moments of his adult life. She had held his hand during his family's trials at the Ministry of Magic, she had nodded sympathetically when he confided in her about his past, and she had also told him a few home truths, trying her best to get him to see that maybe, just maybe, everything hadn't _always _been Harry Potter's fault at Hogwarts.

Now, three years after the war, she was here to share the happier moments of his life, and he hers. Surprisingly, Draco had discovered that the two of them had a lot in common, and he actually enjoyed spending time with her.

Astoria made him laugh and smile, and she even laughed at a few of his jokes and insults. She usually tolerated his sneers and sarcastic comments, and she simply sighed and told him to grow up when she was there to witness some of his more childish moments, such as the glares between him and Weasley when they walked past each other in Diagon Alley or the arguments between Draco and his father.

Draco had even accepted the unfortunate fact that she was an avid Chudley Cannons fan. If that wasn't love, then he didn't know what was.

"You don't love me in a _romantic_ way," she explained.

Draco took a slow sip of his tea. "Does it matter?" he asked her with a frown.

To Draco, it seemed rather unfair to use a lack of romantic love as the main excuse to break off a pure-blood engagement.

After all, it had never mattered to any of the other pure-blood families he knew. For them, marriage was all about making a connection with a family of equal status and continuing the family name by producing an heir.

For the Malfoys, Draco's marriage was also about finding a partner whose parents hadn't been involved with the Death Eaters during the war, in the hope that a close link with a family who had fought on the 'right' side would lead to some sort of redemption for them, or at least an escape from the constant insults in the _Daily Prophet_.

The words 'love' and 'romance' had never been mentioned when making plans for the wedding, and Draco had never thought to bring them up in conversation. He simply felt grateful that at the very least, he and Astoria were friends, as the word 'friendship' rarely came up in pure-blood conversations about marriage, either.

"Well, I'm starting to think that maybe it does matter," Astoria sighed. "I've been thinking about it for a while, and most of my half-blood and Muggle-born friends-don't sneer at me like that, Draco-seem to think that romantic love is important in _their_ relationships, it seems to make them _happy_, and I've decided that I want to see if it makes me happy, too. Besides, I can't help thinking that there's somebody else for you…"

"There's no other woman," Draco felt it necessary to inform her, just in case she was suspicious that he had been loving somebody else in a romantic way behind her back.

He had other female friends of course, like Pansy and Millicent and Daphne and Tracey, but none as close as Astoria, and he couldn't imagine a relationship or a marriage with any other woman.

For some reason, Astoria smiled. "I know that there's no other woman, Draco." She leaned forward slightly, stared at him intently and raised her eyebrows, as though waiting for him to respond.

"Is there another man?" he asked her, wondering if she had already found somebody else to provide her with the romance that had apparently been lacking in her life.

"No, there's no other man, not yet…not for me, anyway." Again she raised her eyebrows at him. "I feel like you need some time to work a few things out, Draco…"

Draco folded his arms sulkily, annoyed that she was looking at him as though she knew something that he didn't.

"Don't sulk, Draco," muttered Astoria. It was a line that she used a lot, mainly after Draco's arguments with his father, but she usually told him to stop sulking with a roll of her eyes and an affectionate grin. Now, there was a hint of sadness in her words, as though she were saying the line for the last time. As though somebody else would be sitting in tea shops with him in the near future and trying in vain to stop him from sulking when he didn't get his own way. Somebody very different to her.

"So, it's really over?" Draco asked her, even though he already knew the answer.

She nodded.

"Are we still going to be friends?" he mumbled, trying to ignore the proud Slytherin in his head, who was now metaphorically glaring at him in disgust for making such a Hufflepuff comment. He had to check though, because the thought of losing her as a friend was a lot more terrifying than the thought of losing her as a fiancée.

"Of course," she replied with a grin.

Eventually, they finished their tea and stood up to leave.

Before Draco could head towards the door, Astoria stopped him and held her arms out, silently asking for a hug.

Noticing that her eyes were now filled with tears, Draco started to suspect that perhaps she wasn't as relaxed about this new situation as she had tried to appear, or perhaps she would begin to panic slightly about her future when she went home and she had some time to think about her decision.

Again, Draco wondered why he wasn't feeling his own rush of sadness, or anger, or disappointment. But then, it had taken him several denial-filled months after the Battle of Hogwarts before the shock and the enormity of what had happened had finally hit him, so maybe he was going to experience yet another delayed reaction to a dramatic moment in his life.

Draco walked towards her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

Draco hugged her back, hoping more than anything that he wasn't being watched by anybody through the window. It was bad enough that Nott and Zabini constantly mocked him for his regular visits to Madam Puddifoot's, but things would only get worse if it got out that he also gave Hufflepuff-like hugs in the middle of said tea shop. Anyway, he was certain that there was some sort of Malfoys-don't-hug rule somewhere in the unwritten Malfoy Rule Book.

So, that was it, just like that. After several years of drinking tea and discussing the future, he was now no longer marrying a pure-blood.

After so much planning and preparation, the whole thing seemed rather abrupt and sudden.

For the past few years, Draco had tried his best to rebuild his life, picking up the pieces as though they were scattered Exploding Snap cards and trying to repair them and build them up into a more organised and steady card house.

But today, it was almost as if Astoria had suddenly removed one of the Exploding Snap cards from the bottom of the paper house, and now that one of the most important cards had been removed from his life, the already unsteady house was wobbling precariously, unsure as to what direction it should move in or what would happen next.

"You know," Astoria suddenly whispered in Draco's ear, making him jump, "the whole time we've been here, Harry Potter hasn't taken his eyes off you."


	2. Malfoys Don't Cry

**2. Malfoys Don't Cry**

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Draco stormed angrily into the small bathroom on the third floor of the Ministry of Magic, making sure to slam the door behind him.

He attempted to cast a furtive glance around the room to check that it was definitely empty, but after less than a few seconds, his trembling hands and heavy breathing got the better of him, and he had to take a few minutes to grab hold of the nearest sink for support as he tried to catch his breath.

He was angry, he desperately tried to convince himself as he held on to two taps and tried to prevent what sounded like a choked gasp escaping from his lips.

He was absolutely furious. So furious that he was going to slam a few more doors later, or aim a kick at the desk in his office, or simply use his wand to break a few things, as soon as he had enough strength to let go of the taps and stand up properly.

He was angry. That was why his face was bright red. That was why his vision was blurred and he was blinking so rapidly.

He definitely wasn't upset. Malfoys _never _cried. Not officially, anyway. In fact, the no-crying rule was definitely listed somewhere high up in the unwritten Malfoy Rule Book.

If any of the former Slytherins who he planned to meet up with for drinks after work bothered to ask him why he was so angry, he knew that he would tell them that it was due to a few of the typical insulting comments from certain colleagues that he had been forced to endure for most of the day.

The comments were always the same; numerous not-so-subtle suggestions that he didn't deserve to be working at the Ministry, or blunt observations that he hadn't really changed much since his Hogwarts years.

He had mostly learnt to ignore the negative remarks, or, on particularly bad days, it wasn't unknown for him to shout a few of his own insults right back at his colleagues.

But the insults seemed to have gotten more frequent over the past few months, especially since Draco's most recent promotion.

However, if he were honest, he would have to admit that he was a lot angrier about issues outside of work, the main issue being Astoria's new boyfriend.

He was happy for Astoria, he really was. And he _had_ wanted her to move on; he had wanted her to be happy. Yet at the same time, it was difficult, especially after all the time that they had spent together over the past few years, to get used to the fact that even though he and Astoria were still friends, he was now no longer the main focus of her attention.

As a general rule, Malfoys didn't like to share, and the fact that he was now having to share one of the most important people in his life was only making him feel even more…angry.

He had felt so lost and alone without her over the past few months, and he wasn't sure if he would ever find the same level of companionship with anybody else.

Besides, he might have found the news of her new relationship slightly easier to accept, if it hadn't been for the fact that her new boyfriend was…

_Dennis Creevey_. Draco said the name a few times in his head, trying to resist the urge to sneer in disapproval. _Dennis Creevey_.

Dennis Creevey, who still wore bright red robes and red and yellow scarves.

Dennis Creevey, who carried his brother's old camera around everywhere and constantly talked about the _beauty_ of the wizarding world around them, in spite of his tragic loss at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Dennis Creevey, who helped Potter and Granger to write their speeches about tolerance and House unity.

Dennis Creevey, who always threw cautious glances in Draco's direction from across the table at the Leaky Cauldron when Astoria invited him along for drinks, whilst Astoria threw a few of her own awkward glances at him at the same time, reminding Draco all over again that things still weren't entirely…_okay_ between the two of them since their break up at Madam Puddifoot's.

Dennis Creevey, who made every effort to get along with Draco and the rest of the Slytherins, in spite of his cautious glances, making it very difficult for Draco to dislike him.

Dennis Creevey, who had just asked Draco at lunch if he would mind if he invited Astoria to the upcoming gathering at Hogwarts to celebrate yet another anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Draco couldn't help but wonder why Astoria hadn't found somebody…well, not somebody _better_, exactly, but somebody more…_Slytherin_. After all, it would have made the situation a lot less complicated, and all of the Slytherin wizards from her year at school _had_ turned out to be quite good-looking as adults, in Draco's opinion, just like the Slytherin wizards from Creevey's year.

Then there were the wizards from his year, like Theodore Nott, who suddenly seemed to have become rather attractive over the past few years, and of course Blaise Zabini, who had always been stunningly attractive by anyone's standards…especially Draco's, now that he thought about it, with his beautiful eyes and perfect hair and lips that formed into quite an attractive sneer just before he muttered one of his typical insults and his expensive robes that always flattered…

Draco abruptly stopped that particular trail of thought as he snapped his head up to look into the mirror. As he caught a glimpse of his reflection, he noticed that his eyes were wide, and his mouth was wide open in shock.

He closed his mouth and shut his eyes, and instantly felt something warm and wet trickle down his cheek, and he knew that there was no longer any point in pretending that the only emotion that he was feeling was anger.

As he felt even more tears trickle down his cheeks, Draco couldn't help but think of his father. Most of the time, he tried his best to avoid all thoughts of Lucius Malfoy, as those particular thoughts always led to feelings of guilt or anxiety, but more often than not, it was difficult to simply ignore those thoughts all together, especially during moments like these.

He thought about the barely-disguised disappointment on his father's face every time Draco and Astoria's break up was mentioned. He also thought about the look of anxiety that crossed his father's face when yet another insulting article about the family appeared on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_, and the embarrassed look when he returned home after a visit to Gringotts and commented that the family vault wasn't as full as it used to be.

His father was getting older; Draco had noticed the extra lines on his forehead, along with the dark circles under his eyes. He had also noticed the slower walk, the thinner hair, the decrease in conversation, as well as the decrease in sneers and insulting comments and the increased illnesses. And still Draco longed for his father's approval; he still hated to disappoint him.

He had hoped that his marriage to Astoria would have eased some of his father's worries in his old age, but now it was looking increasingly likely that his days of worrying were far from over.

Draco was no longer trying to quieten the sobs and the gasps. It was impossible to stop the tears now that all of his thoughts about Astoria and Dennis Creevey and how attractive wizards like Blaise Zabini looked in their robes and his father's ever-increasing disappointment had been brought to the surface.

As he let out a few more sobs, Draco made a small attempt at making himself feel better by allowing himself to accept the fact that perhaps it was okay if Malfoys cried, sometimes, as long as the tears were a secret, as long as he cried in private, as long as nobody saw…

At the sound of a loud gasp coming from the nearest toilet cubicle behind Draco, quickly followed by the sound of somebody undoing the lock of the cubicle door, he felt a wave of horror and panic rush through him.

He hadn't even realised that anybody else was in the bathroom. He had barely been able to stand up properly when he entered the room, let alone notice the fact that somebody was behind one of the cubicle doors. His heart started beating faster, and he briefly contemplated running away, but he wasn't sure if his legs would move fast enough, given his current emotional state. And then it was too late, because the door was already half-open.

Draco looked up into the bathroom mirror again, hoping against hope that it was at least one of his friends walking out of the cubicle; preferably one of the former Slytherins. He hoped that it wasn't a former Hufflepuff, or worse, a Gryffindor, and definitely not…

Before he could finish that thought, Draco's worst fears wear confirmed. Even though his vision was still blurred, he couldn't deny the fact that Harry Potter was staring right back at him in the mirror.

Of all the people to catch him crying. As if that time back in sixth year at Hogwarts wasn't enough humiliation to last a lifetime.

The only small consolation was that Potter looked just as shocked as Draco at seeing somebody else in the bathroom.

Draco thought of Astoria's comment, back at Madam Puddifoot's, about how Potter had been staring at him the entire time that they were there. The truth was that Draco had noticed Potter staring at him every now and again as well, especially at work, even though he was sure that 'glaring' would definitely be a more accurate word to describe these looks. But now, Draco only wished that Potter would stop staring at him so much, because he always seemed to catch him at his worst moments.

Draco felt his face flush bright red, and he tried to convince himself that the sudden heat to his face was due to anger rather than embarrassment.

Instinctively, he reached for the wand in his robes pocket, even though he already knew that he wouldn't actually use it. He would never get away with starting another duel with Harry Potter, or with anybody else for that matter. Not now that he was supposed to be a responsible adult and his past rivalries were supposed to be long over.

Draco was just about to compensate for the unspoken ban on using hexes and jinxes by shouting a few insults at Potter, or at the very least by snapping at him to get out and leave him alone. But then he noticed something: Potter's face was also bright red. And his eyes looked rather red, just like Draco's. And Draco had definitely heard what he was now sure was the sound of sobbing from behind the closed door a few seconds before Potter walked out of the toilet cubicle. He also realised that Potter hadn't actually made a move to say anything, or any attempt to roll his eyes in exasperation and start throwing insults around, the way he usually did when the two of them were forced to interact at work.

As though he could read Draco's thoughts, Potter lifted his hand to his face and used the sleeve of his robes to hurriedly wipe away what looked like a tear.

The only conclusion that Draco was therefore left with was that Potter was upset about something, too.

Draco continued to stare at Potter's reflection in the mirror with a confused frown. What reason did Potter have to be upset?

Since Potter's victory at the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco had always been convinced that The Chosen One's life was perfect. After all, unlike Draco, who had never truly felt safe or content since the war, Potter seemed to have found safety and contentment and every other positive sense and feeling that went with being the hero of the wizarding world.

He always had his two best friends and the rest of the Weasleys to support him through his difficult moments, the Minister of Magic worked tirelessly to ensure that he was protected from prying journalists or ex-Death Eaters, he was awarded promotion after promotion at work, he was always invited to prestigious events at the Ministry and at Hogwarts to give speeches, and Draco was fairly certain that his vault at Gringotts was always full of gold.

Trying his best to regain his composure, Draco ran through a few possible explanations for Potter's current state of distress.

The most likely explanation was that he was crying over his break-up with Ginevra Weasley. Several months had passed since the _Daily Prophet _journalists had found out about this break-up, and before that, even Draco, with his limited knowledge of Harry Potter's personal life, had sensed that something wasn't quite right between the two of them; but still, Draco was still shedding tears over the end of his relationship with Astoria several months after the event had taken place, so there was no reason why Potter wouldn't be feeling the same way.

Draco also remembered a few comments that an irritated Hermione Granger had made to him a few weeks ago, after Draco spent the morning insulting Potter and Granger had intervened later in the day to remind Draco that Potter had been having a hard time at work and at home recently, and the last thing he needed was to endure a day of Draco's insults.

Now that he thought about it, Draco had already noticed that Potter had looked tired and worried a lot over the past few months, and at other times, he seemed to spend long moments staring out of his office window, looking lost in thought.

Draco's thoughts were interrupted when Potter took a tentative step towards him.

Too shocked to move or to protest, Draco stayed rooted to the spot, reasoning that maybe it wasn't _too_ humiliating that Potter was getting to see him in this state, because Potter didn't exactly look cool and composed, either.

As Potter got closer, Draco could see the hints of newly-formed tears in the corners of his eyes. Draco also admitted, very silently and begrudgingly, that Potter had quite nice eyes. Perhaps even nicer than Blaise's. He could understand where Potter's obsessed fans were coming from, when they constantly went on about the colour of his eyes. Although Draco couldn't exactly say the same about their obsession with Potter's messy hair…

The two of them stood close together, staring at each other awkwardly in the mirror. Draco could only hope that Potter didn't make the situation even more uncomfortable by attempting to say something nice, or, even worse, by trying to offer comfort through some sort of hug.

Much to Draco's relief, Potter simply reached his arm out towards Draco and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder.

The situation was still awkward, and the strange tension that had been there between the two of them for years still hung in the air around them, but Draco didn't say anything about the hand-to-shoulder contact. Instead, he simply nodded and allowed Potter to leave his hand there, trying his best not to roll his eyes when Potter occasionally lifted his hand to pat Draco on the shoulder, before bringing it back down again. The only downside was that the feel of Potter's hand on his shoulder seemed to cause even more tears to form in Draco's eyes.

Yet he made no move to back away or to push Potter's hand away. It had been several months since he had had somebody with him to share his moments of sadness or anger, and it felt sort of…nice, even if it was Harry Potter.

Their eyes kept meeting in the mirror, as though silently daring each other to say something about the strangeness of the situation, even though they both seemed determined not to say anything, and for the first time, Draco started to suspect that maybe Potter needed the comfort and support as much as Draco did. He also felt that perhaps Potter's life wasn't as ideal as he had always assumed.

Weasley and Granger had been away in Australia for the past week or so, along with the rest of the Weasley family, and in addition to wasting time wondering if Potter now felt uncomfortable going on holiday with the Weasley family now that he and Ginevra were no longer together, Draco had also observed that Potter hadn't really shared any in-depth conversations with anybody else at work in their absence.

As shallow and as unreliable as most of Draco's friends could be, he knew that they would always be there to listen to him, or simply to buy him a drink after a long day of work. He wondered if Potter really had that many people to confide in when Weasley and Granger weren't around.

He knew that Astoria would roll her eyes in disapproval at the idea, but in a way, Draco couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of pleasure at the idea that he wasn't the only person who was currently miserable. He felt better in the knowledge that not everybody's life was perfect, even the life of The Boy Who Lived.

Eventually, Potter took a deep breath, let go of his shoulder, and turned around to leave the room.

In that moment, Draco made a decision. He decided that he was sick of their arguments and the unspoken tension between the two of them that had been there since their Hogwarts years. He also decided that after sharing this uncomfortable moment together, perhaps now was as good a time as any to make a small attempt to improve the situation. Besides, if Potter's friends and family were far away, and he was going to be spending the evening feeling alone and miserable anyway…

"Potter?" he heard himself ask, before he could stop himself. Potter stopped and slowly turned around to face him. "I'm meeting a few people for drinks at the Leaky Cauldron this evening after work. They're all former Slytherins, apart from Creevey, of course, but…you're invited…if you want…"

He noticed the flicker of hesitation in those green eyes, and he fully expected Potter to decline the invitation.

Draco shrugged discreetly, deciding that even if Potter refused, he had at least made an effort; but then, much to his surprise, Potter nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay, thanks," he mumbled, speaking for the first time since their eyes had locked in the mirror.

Draco almost grinned, but then he quickly stopped himself, reminding himself that the moment he walked out of the bathroom, all of his problems would still be out there, waiting, and he would still be 'angry', and also that he and Potter would still be rivals, in spite of their small moment of reconciliation.

Trying his best to look calm and serious, he nodded in response and told Potter that he would see him later.

Potter nodded back and left the room.

A few minutes later, as Draco walked out of the bathroom, the voice of the proud Slytherin was back in his head, reminding him that he had broken yet another Malfoy rule.

Draco tried to ignore the voice. After all, perhaps it wasn't so terrible that Malfoys cried sometimes, because apparently Potters cried sometimes as well.


End file.
